The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c17.s1.97

v1.c17.s1.97

The first name in the grant is that of Mahābhavaguptadeva. "But from the manner in which this mention is made" the editor of the grant found it "difficult to say which Mahābhavagupta is referred to." From palaeographic considerations however it seems likely that this prince is not the first of that name and that he may possibly be either the Mahābhavagupta of the Kudopali grant mentioned above, or a later prince bearing the same name. The letters of the Sonpur grant of Someśvara, though agreeing in the main with the characters of the plates of the Kosala Guptas contain many modern Oriya and Bengali forms, which show that they are of a later time. The next difficulty is about the relationship between this Mahābhavagupta and Uddyotakesarin who is said to have granted (*prasādīkṛta*) the Kosala country to Abhimanyu. The word *pādānudhyāta* however may possibly signify that Uddyotakesarin immediately succeeded Mahābhavagupta and that the former was possibly a lineal or at least a collateral descendant of the latter. If this is accepted it would afford an interesting instance of the reappearance of *Keśarī* names in the family tree after more than 300 years. We have already shown that the name Raṇakesarin occurs twice in the genealogical list of the Śrīpura branch of this family. The occurrence of names ending in *Kesarin* and of ‘Janamejaya’ and ‘Yayāti’ in the Orissan branch of the family makes its identification with the *Kesari-vaṁśa* of the *Mādlā-Pāñji* seem probable.¹